Looking to Upgrade my comp

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eclipse51

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I bought my computer 4 years ago, and sadly, it's come to that point again where I must upgrade to run the latest games. My main goals with this upgrade are to have it be able to run the newer games coming out, such as Battle Field Bad Company 2. I'm not the most tech savy, so when explaining things I appologize if I seem a little dumb. Here's the specs right now:

Operating System System Model
Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 (build 6001)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (Canada) Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. P35-DS3R
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
2.67 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded Board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. P35-DS3R
Bus Clock: 333 megahertz

Drives Memory Modules c,d
500.10 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
276.89 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H55N ATA Device [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

ST3500630AS [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 6QG0H7NT, rev 3.AAK, SMART Status: Healthy 2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Slot 'A2' has 1024 MB
Slot 'A3' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 500.10 GB



I have a bunch more I can put it, just not sure what you guys are willing to sift through. Like I said before, I want to be able to run the newest games coming out at the highest possible settings. My computer right now runs the bad company 2 beta reasonably well at the lowest settings and at 1440x900 resolution, but when things pick it up it gets choppy.

The big issue with upgrading is I went to a computer store, and they were saying if you want to upgrade this, then this has to be upgraded. What I really want out of this post is what things I need to upgrade, and what things have to be changed it order to make the upgrades work. I have $800 I can spend on this upgrade. I want this upgrade to last me another 3 or 4 years into the future, so when recommending parts, please keep that in mind. I want graphics cards and the like that will be able to run new games coming out within the next 3 to 4 years with relative ease. And if I can't get any recommendations on what to get, I'd like to at least know what components I have to upgrade. Thanks for your help :lol:
 
I'm assuming this is a pre-built? (Dell, HP, etc.)

If that's the case then you're probably looking at a new build with all new parts. For $800 you might be pushing it to get what you want. How flexible is your budget?
 
No this was a custom build. Doesn't have a brand, just like all the computers you guys put together yourselves, I just didn't have the know how so a computer store threw all the parts together for me. I really cant go over $800 right now.
 
your best option is to get a new video card and upgrade your ram. What power supply do you have? If you don't know, open up your case and see the info on the side. Tell us the brand and model number. You may also need to upgrade your power supply in order to get a new video card. You didn't mention whether you already had a video card... and since your motherboard doesn't have an integrated chipset, you probably already have a video card. Also, could you tell us exact specifications of your ram?

edit: also, tell us where you live..
 
I opened it up, but forgot to check brand and model number. It's a 520 watt if that helps at all. Ram wise, I dunno what I should be looking for but some printing right beside it said ddr 2 800/1600 if that means anything. I'm running a seperate video card, nvidia 8600 gts.
 
Well its really important what brand and spec of your power supply is, because its the only way we'll know if its powerful enough to power a new video card. Also, are you using the stock heatsink or an aftermarket one?

This is what i recommend you do:

Add another 2 gigs of memory, something like this:
Newegg.com - A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Desktop Memory

Get a new video card, like this:
Newegg.com - XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

If your PSU is weak, you'll need a new one. One of these will work for you:

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced 550250 580W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

You should also look into overclocking. Its not hard, and you don't need to do anything major. If you could get your cpu to maybe 3.0 ghz would be a decent increase. Your cpu is good enough for gaming, its your video card thats really lacking.

And since you're going to be upgrading your memory, make sure the OS you're using is 64bit.

All those upgrades should cost you around $400-$450. And you'll have a very decent gaming computer.

Another option, and it may be the better option, is that you sell your current computer. You'll get maybe $250 for it. Add that to your $800, and you should have enough for a very decent gaming rig.
 
Alright thank you for all your help. I'll check what the power supply make and model is when I get home and post that.
 
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